CHESTER Jets' latest signing is looking forward to beginning a new life in the UK away from the perils and devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Gentry Lewis has been deeply affected by a disaster which has left his family home in New Orleans under water and his fiancée stranded in Houston, Texas.

The 24-year-old forward this week agreed to join the Jets following a spell playing in the Southern California Summer Pro League.

He is expected to link up with his new teammates by the end of the month and Jets officials have promised to do all they can to help the 6ft 9ins centre settle in.

Lewis's playing commitments with JBJ Sports Team meant he was 2,000 miles away from New Orleans in Los Angeles when Hurricane Katrina struck at the end of last month.

The hurricane's storm surge breached the levees that protected New Orleans from Lake Pontchartrain, flooding most of the city and killing more than 600 people.

Speaking from LA this week, Lewis told the Chronicle how his family and financée were fortunate to steer clear of the devastation caused by Katrina.

'My mother and stepdad were in Houston watching my fiancée playing basketball when the hurricane struck - and they've been in Houston ever since,' he said. 'My fiancée is from New Orleans too but her family got out the night before it came.'

The Lewis family home, however, was directly in line with Katrina's path of destruction.

'Everything's been washed away by the water,' he explained. 'My family live in New Orleans East, which is one of the worst-hit areas.

'They haven't been back there in three or four weeks and they could be out of their home for a year.

'Of course, I've been very affected by it all. It's the city I live in and all my relatives and friends have been affected by it.

'I've been watching the TV news daily. I even saw someone I knew from school being rescued and I'm still waiting to hear how they are.'

Lewis is unlikely to be available for the Jets' first BBL League game of the season at Newcastle Eagles on Friday, September 23 as he waits for the British Embassy in America to issue a visa.

Jets assistant coach Mike Burton expects the player to arrive in the UK shortly after the opening weekend of the season and he says Lewis can expect a warm welcome.

'We are a family club and we know it's not going to be an easy situation for him,' said Burton. 'We can feel for him and I hope we can make him as comfortable as possible.

'If his family want to come over here and visit, they will be made very welcome.